Ash Tree Scientific Name: Fraxinus

Types of Ash Trees, Different Ash Tree Species

American Ash Tree, known as white ash, native to eastern North America

American Mountain Ash Tree

Arizona Ash Tree

Ash Maple Tree

Autumn Purple Ash Tree, Fraxinus americana

Black Ash Tree

Blue Ash Tree, Chinese Evergreen Ash

Bonita Ash Tree

California Ash Tree

Cape Ash Tree

Carolina Ash Tree

Chinese Ash Tree

Cimmaron Ash Tree

Claret Ash Tree

Common Ash Tree, also known as European Ash

Desert Ash Tree

Emerald Ash Tree

English Ash Tree, Family of Oleaceae or Olive-tree

Green Ash Tree

European Ash Tree

European Mountain Ash Tree

Evergreen Ash Tree, Tropical Ash, shamel ash, Fraxinus uhdei

Pumpkin Ash Tree, Fraxinus profunda

Raywood Ash Tree

Red Ash Tree, Fraxinus pennsylvanica

Texas Ash Tree

Velvet Ash Tree

White Ash Tree, Fraxinus americana, also known as American Ash

Ash Tree Facts and Information

Fraxinus is a genus flowering plants in the olive and lilac family, Oleaceae. It contains 45-65 species of usually medium to large trees, mostly deciduous though a few subtropical species are evergreen.

The tree's common English name, ash, goes back to the Old English æsc, while the generic name originated in Latin. Both words also meant "spear" in their respective languages. The leaves are opposite (rarely in whorls of three), and mostly pinnately compound, simple in a few species. The seeds, popularly known as keys or helicopter seeds, are a type of fruit known as a samara. Rowans or Mountain Ashes are unrelated to true ashes and belong to the Genus Sorbus though the leaves and buds are superficially similar.

The wood is hard (a hardwood), dense , tough and very strong but elastic, extensively used for making bows, tool handles, baseball bats, hurleys and other uses demanding high strength and resilience.

It is also often used as material for electric guitar bodies and, less commonly, for acoustic guitar bodies, known for its bright, cutting tone and sustaining quality. They are also used for making drum shells. Interior joinery is another common user of both European Ash and White Ash. Ash veneers are extensively used in office furniture. Ash is not used extensively outdoors due to the heartwood having a low durability to ground contact, meaning it will typically perish within five years.

Woodworkers generally like the timber for its great finishing qualities. It also has good machining qualities, and is quite easy to use with nails, screws and glue. Ash was commonly used for the structural members of the bodies of cars made by carriage builders. Also, early cars had frames which were intended to flex as part of the suspension system (to save money on suspension parts), as opposed to a rigid box steel frame.

Ash Tree Trivia

The wood of the White Ash Tree is used in the making of baseball bats

Ash Tree Disease: Emerald Ash Borer (EAB)

The emerald ash borer is a metallic green wood boring beetle which is about 1 to 1.5 cm in length. These beetles attack all native species of ash trees.

The number one disease of Ash trees is caused by the larvae of the Emerald Ash Borer which bore S-shaped tunnels under the bark of the Ash Tree. Ash Borer Larvae activity affects the ability of the ash tree to send nutrients and water up through trunk to the branches and the leaves. Emerald Ash Borer (EAB) damage is so severe that a full size ash tree can typically be killed in two to three years.